Most enthusiasts are familiar with Ferrari's FXX supercar. Well, really it's more of a race car, as it's not actually street legal and is designed to be used exclusively by a new breed of gentleman racer in a Ferrari-organized Client Test Driver program. The program essentially allows those wealthy enough to afford a car the closest experience possible to being a Ferrari factory racer. Good news for them, then. Ferrari is extending the program through 2009 with an Evoluzione package designed to take the performance of the FXX to a new level.

The biggest news is that Ferrari's aforementioned Corsa Cliente, along with Michael Schumacher himself, have further developed the FXX with a special Evoluzione kit that supposedly drops lap times around Ferrari's on-site test track, Fiorano, from 1 minute 18 seconds to just under 1 minute 16 seconds.

Virtually no part of the FXX has been left untouched by the Evoluzione kit. Changes start in the engine bay, where the 6.3-liter V-12 engine now develops a staggering 860 horsepower at 9500 rpm -- 1000 rpm higher than before. Cog-swapping is quicker at 60 ms, versus 80 ms for the old gearbox, and new gear ratios have been optimized for the new state of engine tune. No performance figures are posted by Ferrari, other than the aforementioned lap times, but given the output values, 0-to-60-mph runs should be dispatched in well under four seconds.

A new traction-control system also has been developed, which offers the driver on-the-fly adjustment through nine different settings, all controlled via a switch on the center console. The system was designed to be more responsive to individual driving style, allowing the car to adapt to the driver rather than vice versa. Ferrari says another advantage to the redesigned traction control, when paired with new front suspension geometry, is decreased tire wear -- a good thing, considering the FXX's custom-made 19-inch Bridgestone tires likely aren't cheap. The Brembo brakes and Composite Ceramic Material discs have also been redesigned to double pad life.

The last big-ticket change is to the bodywork of the FXX. The Evoluzione kit adds a new rear diffuser, nolder, and rear flaps, which increases aerodynamic efficiency by 25 percent as well as rear downforce -- both good ideas on a car able to exceed 200 mph.

All drivers participating in the 2008 and 2009 seasons will be supported by the Ferrari factory, with a 15-member team dedicated to the Client Test Driver program. Driver input is relayed to the team -- which consists of mechanics, electronics technicians, and engineers -- to continually advance the FXX throughout the season. Six track events are planned for both years, with two in North America, two in Europe, and two in Asia, making the program an international one. Each season will end with the Ferrari World Finals, as is traditional. Pricing details haven't yet been released, but it can be assumed that an FXX Evoluzione, should one become available, will be well over $1 million.

I never noticed until now that the exhaust pipes were in place of the tail lights.

I say uncool. First of all, it's based on the Enzo which was never a pretty car and then they made it uglier...it's not road legal so you can't drive it there, and there's no series in which to race it so it's just for track days which is a retarded waste of money, and you know that nobody's going to actually spend the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars on it and actually risk scratching it, so it's just a collector's item and a garage queen.

I say uncool. First of all, it's based on the Enzo which was never a pretty car and then they made it uglier...it's not road legal so you can't drive it there, and there's no series in which to race it so it's just for track days which is a retarded waste of money, and you know that nobody's going to actually spend the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars on it and actually risk scratching it, so it's just a collector's item and a garage queen.

I always was very meh toward the FXX, the Enzo was a pretty brilliant bit of kit, this just looks awkward, is unusable on anything but a track (might have to be a Ferrari approved track at that) and is ruinously expensive.

This car represents the cutting edge of automotive technology, performance, and ability. There may not be many places to prove it, but thats the point - how is a car that is so incredibly and awesomely fast, powerful, and illegal that there are very limited places it can be driven properly and to it's capacities not cool? That to me is frozen. It represents a long, prestigious history of automotive and technological advancements, blending road and racing heritages into one incredible machine. Blend in rarity and you've got one frozen machine.

This car represents the cutting edge of automotive technology, performance, and ability. There may not be many places to prove it, but thats the point - how is a car that is so incredibly and awesomely fast, powerful, and illegal that there are very limited places it can be driven properly and to it's capacities not cool? That to me is frozen. It represents a long, prestigious history of automotive and technological advancements, blending road and racing heritages into one incredible machine. Blend in rarity and you've got one frozen machine.

Thank you! because once again clark you are still basing this car on practicality not awsomeness, they are inversely proportionate

My primary beef with the car is the fact that it took one of the ugliest Ferraris of all time, made it uglier, and then even uglier still. At that point, I don't even care what it peforms like, MJU status is sealed for me.

Cool. Maybe I'm damaged in the head, but I think this looks really nice, and I think the F430 looks hideous.

As for practicalities...it's a Ferrari. It's so impractical in my mind to even own a car that costs three times as much as a house (or even as much as a house, like "cheaper" Ferraris do) and has Italian reliability, etc etc, that I don't even worry about street legality, one way or the other.